Why Most Cruises Leave the U.S.
One law explains the Canada stop and the Key West rule.
Get Free Domestic Cruise QuotesAsk why a Seattle cruise stops in Victoria or why a Florida ship cannot sail just to Key West and you will hear about the “Jones Act.” The law that matters for passengers is actually the Passenger Vessel Services Act, and it is simpler than it sounds.
The Rule in One Sentence
A ship that is not U.S.-built, U.S.-owned and U.S.-flagged may not carry passengers from one U.S. port to another U.S. port. The text is in 46 U.S.C. § 55103, and enforcement falls to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
What That Means for Your Cruise
- Big cruise ships are almost all registered abroad, so a U.S. round trip must include a foreign port — Canada for Seattle and New England, Mexico or the Bahamas for Florida and the Gulf.
- One-way big-ship cruises between two U.S. ports usually need a distant foreign port, which is why they are rare.
- U.S.-flagged ships are free to sail port to port inside the country. That is why Pride of America can sail around Hawaii and American small ships can sail the rivers and coasts.
- If a foreign-flagged ship skips its foreign port, for example because of weather, the cruise line may face a penalty, and it is the line’s problem to solve.
Why Domestic Ships Are Few
Building, crewing and operating a ship under the U.S. flag costs more, which is why the domestic fleet is mostly small ships and riverboats that make sense on America’s rivers and protected coasts. The result is a niche, but a growing one, as American small-ship lines keep adding vessels.
Where to board? For the full list of U.S. cruise homeports and where ships from each one go, see our sister site Cruising America.
Common Myths About the Law
- “It is the Jones Act.” The Jones Act is about cargo. Passengers fall under the separate Passenger Vessel Services Act, though people often use the names interchangeably.
- “It is about the passengers’ nationality.” It is about the ship. Americans and foreigners alike can sail on a foreign-flagged ship; the ship just cannot carry them between two U.S. ports.
- “Hawaii cruises from California break the rule.” Big ships sailing to Hawaii from the West Coast call at a foreign port on the way, typically in Mexico or Canada.
- “Domestic ships are old.” American small-ship lines have added many new vessels in recent years.
What It Means When You Book
For travelers, the practical effect is simple. If you want a cruise with no foreign port, look only at U.S.-flagged ships: Pride of America and the American small-ship and river lines. If you are happy with a foreign stop, the whole big-ship world is open from U.S. ports. Either way, our cruise advisors at Mister Cruise check the itinerary rules for you, so you never book a trip the law does not allow.
Rules on cabotage exist in many countries, not only the United States, and they explain a good number of oddly shaped itineraries around the world.
Skip the Rules: Sail Domestic
Our cruise advisors at Mister Cruise can show you cruises that stay in the USA from start to finish.
Find a Domestic Sailing